The Philadelphia Phillies have already lost starting pitcher Aaron Nola for a significant stretch of time, and now there’s added concern after he experienced a setback with his ribs. Initially, Nola was expected to return soon, but his recovery has taken longer than anticipated.
In a recent announcement via Twitter/X, the Phillies shared even more bad news. They called up Buddy Kennedy and sent down Weston Wilson, which meant they needed to free up a spot on the 40-man roster. To make room, they placed Nola on the 60-day injured list, extending his time away from the mound.
This decision from the Phillies organization points towards Nola not returning to the club for a while. His timeline originally had him ready to go before the All-Star break.
But, a prior setback pushed it passed the All-Star break, and this now could make his absence even longer. Nola could now be out into August, something that cold affect the team’s plans at the trade deadline.
While the Phillies have plenty of starting pitchers in the organization, the decision made on Nola is a tough blow for the Phillies. Losing more than half a season of Nola in the rotation will sting, even though he struggled so far this season.
Nola was 1-7 with a 6.16 ERA before he was placed on the injured list. He started on the 10-day injured list before being transferred to the 15-day injured list. But, after this new announcement, he’s now on the 60-day injured list.
His progression in recovering from what was initially a foot issue went well, but the rib issue was a huge setback in his return to the mound. It reset his recovery timeline, and provided a different level of pain for Nola to deal with.
After this update from the Phillies, the wait is expected to be even longer for Nola’s return. In the meantime, Mick Abel and potentially, Andrew Painter, will take over in his absence.
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